I’m not much of a comic book reader; my experience is pretty much limited to the occasional “Richie Rich” and (Lord help me) “Archie” in my childhood, then, 25 years later, the excellent Persepolis graphic novels and Real Cost of Prisons Project’s great comics take on the justice system.

But some of my nearest and dearest are comics crazy, which is how I ended up yesterday at BingCon, the Bing Arts Center‘s comics and pop culture convention. While it wasn’t necessarily my scene, and I was generally befuddled by the costumes some attendees wore (what’s with the women with the little pink horns and tiny wings attached to their backs?), I was thrilled to see how many people showed up to schmooze and shop and, along the way, help support the Bing’s renovation fund.

Oh, and I even snagged a copy of “Richie Rich, the Poor Little Rich Boy, and Casper the Friendly Ghost in 3D”—for a mere two bucks, no less.

Mike Dobbs of the Reminder, who helped put together BingCon, reports that 173 folks showed up, which bodes well for future conventions.